Proud Boys Disrupt/Terrorize Children At Drag Queen Story Hour

Several witnesses say a group of 15 masked Cape Fear Proud Boys terrorized parents and children  – with the assistance of sheriff’s deputies – at a drag queen story event in the Pine Valley branch of the New Hanover, North Carolina library system. According to local news reports, several deputies arrived to a demonstration at the Pine Valley library where a group of four parents and six children showed up to attend a Drag Queen Story Hour about diverse families. A flyer advertising Tuesday’s event at the Pine Valley library described it as an “inclusive story time featuring LGBTQIA+ stories to celebrate all families.” One witness said they saw the demonstrators outside holding signs with the messages “LGBT is grooming our kids” and “the library is responsible for child abuse.” Witnesses say the families and other library patrons were terrorized by the Proud Boys. They say deputies escorted the demonstrators from the parking lot into the library and up to the door of the reading room. Numerous witnesses report that the demonstrators shouted slurs through the door and yelled, “Bring out the drag queens! Bring out the drag queens!” https://twitter.com/gwen_fulton/status/1539426681571655680 Library patrons on Facebook report that the protesters and deputies fist bumped and chatted while the disturbance continued. Eventually, the story hour was discontinued and the parents and children were forced to exit the building through a side door. But the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office issued a statement on Facebook telling a very different tale.

On June 21, 2022 the New Hanover County Library hosted a Pride story time reading at the New Hanover County Library Pine Valley branch.

During the event, which was held in a private room in the library, a group of demonstrators assembled in the parking lot of the library. Sheriff Deputies responded to a call of disturbance. After a period of time a small group of the demonstrators entered the library which is open to the public.

A Sheriff’s Office supervisor entered the library and positioned himself between the private room holding the reading and the demonstrators. The supervisor instructed the demonstrators that they were not allowed to enter the room.

At no time did Sheriff Deputies witness nor did any library staff report any of the demonstrators causing a disturbance within the library or try to enter the private room that was holding the reading. After the reading, all the participants left the library with no incident.

Witnesses wrote on the Facebook post saying the Sheriff’s account of the incident was not what happened.

From someone who was there (I was not) pic.twitter.com/7Qxs7kSA5M

— gwen frisbie-fulton (@gwen_fulton) June 22, 2022

Sandra Dawn wrote that she “watched these protestors SCREAM at young children and their families as they exited the building. The sheriffs allowed these people to stand within feet of young children and SCREAM at them.” Kristina Mercier: “I was there. This is definitely not how it happened. And they didn’t limit themselves to harassing who they thought may be in the storytime. It was all library patrons I saw.” There are many more witness statements at the Facebook link. Related: Hate Crime Investigation Launched Into Disruption Of Drag Queen Story Hour According to the Los Angeles Blade, New Hanover County residents have been commenting on social media that the Cape Fear Proud Boys have been disrupting local school board meetings for months and that the Sheriff’s Office appears to give them wide latitude to bully and harass citizens, often tolerating what appear to be blatant violations of “orderly meetings” and “disturbing the peace” laws. Locals observe that deputies appear to be overly friendly with the Proud Boys, often bantering and laughing with them instead of enforcing the law. The U.S. Justice Department has charged five members of the Proud Boys with seditious conspiracy in the Jan 6. attack in the U.S. Capitol.